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House of Cards on Indefinite Hiatus Following Allegations Against Spacey

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The latest Hollywood scandal has officially claimed the life (for now) of one of the most successful Netflix original series to date. House of Cards has been put on indefinite hiatus in response to sexual assault allegations against Kevin Spacey by Anthony Rapp. House of Cards, arguably the most successful “original” series since it’s first airing in February 2013, has received twenty-one Primetime Emmy nominations. But the success of the show was not enough to outweigh the allegations by Anthony Rapp.

Rapp alleges that in 1986 (at 14 years of age) Spacey (at 26 years of age) made an unwarranted sexual advance toward him. While attending a party at Spacey’s house, Rapp alleges that Spacey carried him to his bedroom and made an attempt to initiate sex. Rapp had previously explored legal options but was told the case was not worth pursuing. Spacey claims that he does not recall the alleged attempt, it being 31 years prior, but stated that he was “beyond horrified to hear his story” and offered Rapp the “sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.” “Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. Netflix will continue to work with MRC (Media Rights Capital) toward an appropriate solution to this crisis.

The show’s last season was already significantly into production when Rapp’s allegations surfaced during a BuzzFeed interview in October of this year. Spacey has since come out via Twitter claiming to be a gay man, a move that has received widespread criticism on the internet and social media. It is viewed by many as a ploy by Spacey to remove focus from the allegations at hand. Many other individuals have come forward since Rapp’s allegations to make similar accusations against Spacey, including several individuals from the House of Cards cast and crew itself. With each new allegation surfacing, Rapp’s allegations gain more and more credibility.

The producers of House of Cards are now tasked with trying to move past this scandal to finish the sixth and final season of the show. Trying to wrap a series without the main character will be daunting to say the least. As for Spacey, he is “taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment” according to a representative. We will see how this plays out for those involved with House of Cards but I think we can all agree that Spacey can now be added to the list of great American let-downs in recent memory.